Saints and Sinners
by KousukeAsazuki
Summary: -Revamped summary.- During his days in Soul Society, Shinji had a chance to stop Aizen from carrying out his plans. But Aizen won't go down without a fight and this battle of wills won't be won easily. -Rated for everything associated with Hirako Shinji.-
1. Sins of the Flesh

"Nngh, harder." Slender fingers tugged on dark locks of hair as heavy pants filled the quarters. A light grunt was given in response, and the recipient of the special treatment grinned freely against the building pleasure. It hadn't necessarily been a long while since he'd been in this same exact position (and with the same exact person, nonetheless), but the intensity never died down.

A brief second of tension and a collective series of groans ended the moment with one man panting lightly and contently in his chair, and the other wiping his mouth in silent contemplation. Bespectacled eyes shot up to the captain, taking in every revolting sensation about the scene: The way his superior's hair hung just a little heavier when it was damp with sweat; the way the corners of his mouth weren't turned up quite as much as a grin, but not quite down enough to qualify as a grimace (as if the situation disgusted him as much as it pleased him); the way even the moonlight bouncing off of a halo of golden hair couldn't make this man seem angelic in the least.

They were familiar thoughts, though, and quickly shoved away as the subordinate rose to his feet. If he thought about how much he despised his captain, those feelings would surely be communicated to his features, and then _he_ would notice. The time would come soon enough, he kept telling himself, and then he could relay every ounce of disgust he felt for the other man.

"Ya really can't stand me, huh?"

Those few words caught Aizen just as his hand grazed the door, fingertips moments from sliding it open and freeing him for the night. He silently cursed himself for getting caught up in the moment and letting just a bit too much feeling show through, and mustered up every ounce of patience he had left to look over his shoulder as innocently as possible.

"I don't know what you mean, sir."

"Bullshit." Well, innocence had never been Aizen's thing.

Sighing inwardly (because God forbid he actually do it aloud), the brunette turned to face his captain, a slightly perplexed look on his face. "Hirako-taichou, if I despised you so much, wouldn't I just report you for...this?" He motioned slightly with his head to the scene in general.

"Ain't it your word 'gainst mine?" Shinji countered, a slight sneer lining his features. "Like they'd believe ya."

Aizen paused for a moment to consider the possibility of that reality, then shook his head lightly. "My point is, sir, I've never made an attempt to threaten you with it. Doesn't that mean I don't despise you?"

The blonde captain scoffed and leaned back in his chair, a frown finally tugging his lips downward. "Then why do ya always leave right after?" Not that he _wanted_ his lieutenant to stick around afterward, for whatever reason, but he had never ordered the other man away, either.

"Isn't that what you want?" Aizen asked, a light, knowing smile on his own lips. "If you'll excuse me..."

With a slight grunt and a wave of those same fingers that had been curled so tightly in his hair only minutes before, Aizen gladly took the sign of dismissal and departed from the office.

* * *

It was still relatively early, and with the position of lieutenant guiding him everywhere, Aizen found alcohol as if they were secret lovers meeting routinely every night. Not at all what he and Shinji were, of course.

Knocking back an easy third cup of the bitter liquid, the brunette let out a light sigh and closed his eyes to the headache he knew would start forming soon. It was never a good idea to get drunk on a work night, but he'd be damned if he'd be able to sleep otherwise. Generally, if things _weren't_ in a haze when his head hit the pillow, then the entire day's events came back in crystal clear image. That was certainly not something he needed to haunt him in his own bed.

"Have a rough day?" The curious, relaxed tone was familiar enough, and nearly comforting.

Aizen tilted his head back far enough to glance a few tables down to where the inquirer sat, his own cup grasped lightly between his fingertips. He let a hint of a smile escape before nodding his head toward the older man. "Kyouraku-taichou."

"You look like hell," the captain said, leaning back in his chair. "Does Shinji really work you that hard?"

A rush of comments died on the tip of Aizen's tongue and he shook his head lightly. "No, sir."

"Always so formal," Shunsui murmured, pressing his cup to his lips, "aren't you, Sousuke-kun?"

"Does it bother you?" Aizen asked, his tone staying pleasant enough for the conversation. He truly wished to be alone, at the moment, and to rest for a while, but manners demanded he stay until the superior of the group was finished with the conversation. Damn manners.

"Nah. It's what makes you...you." A light grin accompanied this statement. "I bet Shinji has a hell of a time dealing with it, though, yeah?"

Aizen's eye nearly twitched-- did he have to keep mentioning him? He took another, long sip of sake to keep from responding in the way he wanted to. "We both have some problems with the other's attitude," he finally said, "but you'll find that with anyone."

"Mature, too," Shunsui commented, again in that same, low tone of voice that seemed he was judging Aizen as much as he was conversing with him. "You two really are opposites." Another, wider grin. "Well, you know what they say: Opposites attract."

A certain gleam in the elder's eye put Aizen on edge. His polite facade slipped a bit too much to recover easily, and he stood from his seat. "Excuse me, sir, I apologize for cutting the conversation short, but I have an early day tomorrow." At the captain's nod, Aizen bowed his head slightly and quickly made his way from the sake house.

* * *

The night passed by nearly restlessly, even with the aid of alcohol. Aizen couldn't quite get that look Kyouraku gave him out of his head. It was a weird mix of understanding and insinuation that only the revered pervert could pull off. Regardless, he somehow felt comforted-- like another captain knowing of the situation could bring it all to an end.

As Aizen went through the motions of preparing himself for work, making his way there, and even greeting the lower-ranked members (nearly by habit alone, this morning), he could think of nothing more than how pleased he would be if everything with Shinji ended; office tension included.

He stood outside his captain's door, giving a light sigh before knocking abruptly. "I'm coming in," he announced, and shoved the door open, rather unceremoniously.

Looking up from his desk, blonde hair swaying lightly with the motion, Shinji grimaced at his lieutenant's arrival. "Do ya gotta just barge in like that? What if I was in here with someone?"

Aizen rolled his eyes at the thought of someone else-- _anyone_ else-- actually being persuaded to spend time alone with Shinji and entered the office, shutting the door behind him. "If it pleases you, sir, I would prefer to skip the formalities and simply take the work." As he said this, he approached Shinji's desk, eager to grab the stack of papers he knew his captain wouldn't touch and leave for his own office.

"Ain't nothin' about it that pleases me, actually," Shinji sneered, grabbing Aizen's wrist roughly as he went to snatch the papers away. "I had a real interestin' visit earlier."

Aizen hesitated for a brief moment before giving his captain a light smile. "A visit, sir?"

"Don't fuck around with me, Sousuke," Shinji practically growled. "Who the hell do you think you are, goin' an' tellin' people about our business?"

Brown eyes blinked slightly, in confusion, and Aizen attempted once more to withdraw away. "I haven't told anyone," he insisted, which was the truth of the matter. Of course, that stopped no one from guessing to their heart's content about exactly what was going on behind locked doors.

"Really?" Shinji pressed in a highly skeptical tone. "Then explain t' me why I had Shunsui at my door, askin' 'bout why ya seemed to fidgety when ya two were discussin' me last night?" His grip tightened. "Why the fuck were ya discussin' me at all?"

Despite his pride and arrogance, Aizen let a slip of a wince out at the crushing force his wrist was under. "It wasn't intentional," he said in a low voice. "I had no desire to discuss anything with him." Why, Aizen wondered, was he explaining anything to Shinji at all? He didn't owe this man a thing, certainly not understanding. Still, he had to play the part of lieutenant somehow.

"Well, that's bitin' ya in the ass, now," Shinji sneered. He released Aizen from his grip and sat back in his chair. "Be here after ya get done everything. Shunsui said 'e wants t' discuss somethin' with us."

Shinji didn't seem as concerned about being found out as Aizen would have expected, but the truth was undeniable, no matter how he reacted. Quickly grabbing the long-forgotten papers off the desk, Aizen gave his superior a slight bow before retreating to the sanctity of his own office.

* * *

The title... maybe makes sense? It seemed fitting enough. Hopefully you'll get it by the end. Anyway. Uh-oh. I wonder what Shunsui wants to talk about~ Oh, and I apologize for Shinji's awful language, but... he talks like an inbred, I can't help it. Chances are you don't care, so onward you go!


	2. Sent From Above?

Done. Finished. Completed. There was no other way to describe the papers stacked neatly in front of him. There was also no other obstacle blocking his inevitable return to Shinji's office. It would be alright, though-- Kyouraku knew, and that alone would be a comfort strong enough to move his feet. There was no way someone as oddly virtuous and big-hearted as the Eighth Division captain would ignore a lieutenant being mistreated in such a way. Confident of his conviction, Aizen grabbed the papers lightly off his desk and made his way out.

The walk to his superior's office was unbearably short, and Aizen wondered why he was so nervous about being, for lack of a better term, saved. Perhaps it was because he knew, even after everything, Shinji wouldn't be going anywhere and he'd still have to face the older shinigami the next day. Perhaps it was because he was beginning to realize that he really _didn't_ want anyone else knowing about the disgraceful things his captain did to him, even if it meant ending those same things. Or, perhaps it was just because he didn't wish to admit to himself that those things were happening, which he would have to do if he would admit them to another person.

Aizen stared down the door in front of him, wondering if he could somehow back out of this. That thought was immediately dismissed, though; Aizen wasn't the type to cower in the face of anything. He wasn't intimidated by these men, but his position prompted him to act that way. He couldn't lose that, after all, as it was rather key to his plans. Of course, he _could_ carry everything out as a lower-ranked member, but it would make things so much more difficult. No, he had worked too hard to lose this all over a ridiculous thing like feelings.

"You want to knock, or should I?" a low voice whispered into his ear.

Aizen jumped slightly, a little annoyed at having been caught off-guard, and glanced back to see Kyouraku's warm smile greet him. "My apologies, sir," he murmured, turning away from the captain. "I was simply thinking."

"Be careful," the older male warned, giving the door a light knock. "You're too young to be thinking that hard."

Aizen made a move to reply, but was interrupted by a muffled 'whadda ya want'. Sighing at his captain's informality, he pushed the door open and stepped in, Shunsui in tow. "I hope we're not interrupting," he greeted.

Shinji's nose wrinkled slightly. "Ya two even arrivin' together?" he asked.

"It's just coincidence," Shunsui assured with a wave of his hand, closing the door behind him.

Shinji gave a light scoff and shrugged it off. "Whatever." He surveyed the pair for a moment before finally standing and moving slowly around his desk to join them. "So, Shunsui, whadda ya wanna talk 'bout?"

The elder's smile slipped from his lips and he placed a hand on his hat. "I was talking with Sousuke-kun last night, over a few cups of sake," to which Shinji shot Aizen a rather dirty look, "and he seemed very tense whenever I mentioned you."

So that was why. Kyouraku had noticed even the slightest twinge of unwillingness (which, really, a lieutenant should never show in discussing their own captain) when Shinji was mentioned the first time, so he pressed the matter more and more. He was painfully observant for how nonchalant and oblivious he seemed.

"Wha's yer point?" Shinji challenged. "So we don't get along too well. Ain't nothin' too unusual 'bout that."

"Is that so?" Shunsui wondered. "He ran off quite suddenly when I mentioned something even lightly hinting at a relationship between you two."

Shinji really could have killed Aizen at that moment. "So that's how it is," the captain growled. "Fine, ya wanna hear it from me? I'm fuckin' 'im." The defiance in his eyes was difficult to ignore; there was no way Shunsui would rat him out for something like this, anyway. Especially if Aizen didn't object, which he better not if he wanted a job in the morning.

Aizen had expected Kyouraku's frown to deepen, or for him to shake his head in disappointment and give a sigh, as if to say 'I hate to do this, but I have to report you'. However, and much to the lieutenant's horror, the captain's grin returned. His heart nearly stopped at his next words.

"Shinji," the brunette spoke nearly in a sing-song voice, finally lifting his hat off his head. "Didn't we always agree to share? You've been keeping this from me..."

Shinji's grin stretched thin across his face, more or less completely at the horrified expression on his subordinate's face. "Yeah, yeah. Well, ya still found out, didn' ya?"

Aizen frowned in Kyouraku's direction. "You've known, haven't you?"

"Don't feel bad," the elder captain sympathized. "It's not your fault."

"He's right," Shinji agreed, grinning and placing a hand on Aizen's shoulder. "So, get on your knees."

Aizen glowered at his captain and stayed his ground. "I won't."

"My, my," Shunsui murmured, moving behind Aizen. "You can't order such a strong-spirited boy around, Shinji." He leaned lightly against the lieutenant's back and slowly ran his hand around the thin waist. "You need to reason with him."

Irritated, not only by the unwanted touches, Aizen shifted slightly. "Could you not speak about me as if I'm not here?"

Shunsui chuckled lowly behind the shorter man's ear and nipped at the lobe lightly. "Sorry, Sousuke-kun." His fingers tugged at the white sash around Aizen's waist, but were immediately halted by another hand. He raised an eyebrow at the younger one. "Is something wrong?"

"With all due respect, Kyouraku-taichou, this situation is making me a bit uncomfortable," Aizen grunted out, jumping between sending cautious glances back to Kyouraku and deadly ones toward Shinji.

"Is that so?" Shunsui wondered, resting his chin lightly on Aizen's shoulder. "Well, what do we do about that?"

"We ignore 'im an' continue, anyway," Shinji told the other captain, approaching the two. He sneered a bit at Aizen and gripped his chin roughly. "Ain't like he can go run an' tell."

Aizen gritted his teeth and moved his head to the side. While Shinji had never been a threat, Aizen doubted he could force his way past Kyouraku, as well. The tingling fear of helplessness that spread from the bottom of his spine sickened him, and made him despise the man in front of him even more than usual.

"That's not quite my thing," Shunsui admitted with a sheepish grin. "Sousuke-kun," he murmured, turning his attention back to Aizen, "perhaps we should let your captain calm down a bit?"

Shinji's eyes widened slightly at what his peer was trying to pull. "Shunsui, you bastard."

The curly-haired brunette gave the other captain a wink and stepped back toward the door, arm still wrapped firmly around Aizen's waist. He guided the younger one from his captain's office, leaving an irritable Shinji behind.

* * *

"Are you sure this is alright?" Aizen surveyed his surroundings hesitantly. He had been in the Eighth Division headquarters a few times, of course, but never for such reasons.

"Don't worry," Shunsui assured him. "Shinji won't bother you here."

Deep, chocolate eyes watched the captain carefully. "That isn't quite what I meant, sir."

"Hm?" Shunsui chuckled a little and moved to lean against his desk. "Shinji doesn't have the patience for you." With a grin, he held up a sake bottle. "I, on the other hand, have all the time I need."

Aizen's lips turned down in a frown, once more. "Your suggestions are inappropriate, and not just because you're my superior." Really, since when did Aizen even show an interest in this man? Yet, here he was, trying to get the lieutenant drunk and in his bed.

"Did I misunderstand?" the older man wondered, tilting his head. "I thought you left with me to get rid of your captain."

"I did," Aizen agreed, "but I never implied that _this _is what I wished for, instead." It was a confusing subject. He had always been taught never to disobey a captain's order, but what if that order was one that a captain shouldn't be giving at all? Of course, he had complied with his own for the simple reason that he knew Shinji really _would_ get him de-ranked if he objected. The man in front of him, however, was a completely different person; one that was likely more compassionate and understanding.

"I see." Shunsui lowered the bottle and contemplated the situation for a moment, before giving Aizen a smile. "You only want to be his, don't you?"

Double-taking at the words, Aizen's breath nearly caught in his throat. "E-excuse me?"

"Why else would you keep it a secret?" the captain pressed, advancing toward the younger one. "Isn't it obvious that he wants you, more than he has you? You know it, too, and you know it'd break his heart if you just gave yourself away to someone else like that." He chuckled lightly, having reached the conclusion from the beginning. "Why else do you think he didn't tell me? He told me about all the others."

Aizen didn't quite want to ask how _many_ others, and regarded the captain with slight reservation. "He does what he does because he feels threatened and wishes to assert his dominance over me. That's all." After all, Shinji had admitted that exact reason to him when it all started, when Aizen demanded a reasonable explanation. Fear drove everyone, and so he accepted it as reasonable enough.

"Is that how it is?" Shunsui wondered, stopping only inches away. He leaned down and whispered into Aizen's ear. "But I bet he always calls out your name."

The lieutenant froze on the spot at those words. Thinking back, he realized it was true-- in the mix of moans and groans, Shinji had always called his name out. He shook his head lightly and looked up at his superior. "What are you implying?"

"Nothing I haven't said already." He paused for a moment and watched Aizen's thoughts cross his face in a mixture of annoyance, realization, and acceptance. "So, should we return?"

"He won't admit anything," Aizen argued. "There's no reason for anything to change."

"What do you think he thinks we're doing right now?" Shunsui wondered with a smirk. "If you go back now, he'll be sure to admit to anything if you tell him we only talked."

Aizen felt almost _too _alright with that outcome; something was missing. "What are you gaining from all of this?"

"Well," he leaned in again, "I get this." Locking an arm around Aizen's waist, the elder shinigami pulled him closer into a firm kiss. When he felt neither resistance nor encouragement, he grinned against the other's cool lips and pulled back just a bit. "You're an addicting person, do you know that?"

"I should go." When everything was actually said and done, Aizen felt just the slightest bit of remorse for Shunsui. Perhaps it was the lingering kiss that was still burning on his lips, or perhaps it was just the hint of longing he heard in those few words. Whatever the case was, Aizen knew that this man was getting the poor end of the deal. Almost as a silent apology, he bent in and gave the captain one, last kiss before moving away from him and out the door.

* * *

Shinji was so busy muttering under his breath about untrustworthy friends and whores that he barely noticed the knock on his door. Glaring up at the entrance to his office, he hissed out a 'come in', expecting it to be an unwanted member of his division, asking for some ridiculous favor that he would be sure to promptly reject.

The door slid open, not to reveal a meek-looking member or even someone he could stand, but a stoic-faced lieutenant. Shinji nearly growled in the back of his throat. "The fuck do you want?"

"Hirako-taichou," Aizen began, stepping a short way into the office and closing the door behind him, "I-"

"I don't care," Shinji cut him off, glaring daggers in his direction. "Get the fuck outta here."

"Sir, Kyouraku-taichou and I-"

"Didja not hear me the first time!?" the captain shouted, standing and shoving his chair back against the wall in the process. "I said get out! I don't wanna hear ya, I don't wanna see ya, I don't even wanna sense yer rei-"

"Nothing happened," Aizen cut in, standing his ground as stubbornly as he always did. "We only talked."

The blonde hesitated for a moment before scoffing, though his stance relaxed just a fraction. "So why the fuck're ya tellin' me?"

Giving a light sigh, and taking the calmed tone as an invite to advance further, Aizen took a few steps closer. "I wanted to apologize for my actions earlier," he murmured.

Shinji watched his subordinate out of the corner of his eye for a few moments before his shoulders finally slumped. "Tsk. Yer a real pain in the ass, ya know that?"

A light smile covered Aizen's lips as he moved even further, standing only a couple feet away from the captain's desk. "Hirako-taichou, I want to ask something."

"I ain't givin' ya the weekend off," Shinji told him, stuck somewhere between pissed and relieved.

"Why didn't you tell Kyouraku-taichou about us?" As expected, the question caused the older man to frown and fall into a brief period of silence.

"Why the fuck does it matter?" Shinji wondered, settling himself back into his chair. "Maybe ya just weren't good enough t' go braggin' about."

"Is that the reason?" Aizen wondered, not daring to go any closer quite yet. "Or is it because you wished to keep me to yourself?"

The conviction in Aizen's voice and the knowing smirk he wore pissed Shinji off nearly as much as the fact that he had hit the nail on the head. Likely, though, Shunsui had come to the conclusion more so than Aizen did. Bastard was always messing with things.

"Come 'ere," he ordered, watching as Aizen slowly made his way around the desk. Once his lieutenant was in arm's reach, his hand snapped up and grabbed his uniform by the collar, dragging the tall male down to his level. "If ya ever, _ever_ even _mention_ anything about me likin' ya t' _anyone_, I'll fuckin' kill ya."

Aizen's smirk widened just a bit as he went to respond, but was cut short by a pair of lips crushed against his. Pulling back just slightly, he murmured a few words against Shinji's lips.

"You really can't stand me, can you?"

Shinji couldn't help but snort as he pulled the younger man closer. "Not one fuckin' bit."

* * *

Hah, Shunsui saved the day? Shinji's still pretty rough around the edges, though. Even if that _is_ why we love him. Also, I had to laugh at the idea of Shunsui and Shinji making a pact to share all of their, for lack of a better word, bedmates.

There's one chapter after this, but it's what could be called an optional chapter. It's largely smut-filled and only exists for pretty much that purpose. If that's not your deal, you're not forced to read it. However, since I'm guessing it _is_ your deal, enjoy~


	3. A Saint's and Sinner's Compromise

_Six Months Later_

"Keep up, Sousuke."

"Yes, sir."

"...What the fuck are ya lookin' at?"

Aizen turned his head to watch a rather frightened division member scurry off, away from the angry ball of fluff that was Shinji. "Was that really necessary?" he chided.

"They _know_," the blonde said, his mouth pulled down into a very displeased frown. "What did I tell ya 'bout that?"

Aizen raised his hands in defense. "I said nothing."

"Fuckin' Shunsui." Shinji paused outside of his office, glaring back behind himself and Aizen. "Ya know this is a bad idea."

"But, sir, it was _yours_."

"Yeah, well...shut up, Sousuke."

Aizen chuckled lightly in response and followed his superior through the door, making sure to close it firmly behind him. "We could always do this somewhere else."

"No." The lithe man turned and shoved his subordinate against the nearest wall, pressing his nose firmly against Aizen's. "Ya ain't backin' out of it. Now, fuck me."

Refraining from reprimanding his captain for the vulgar language, Aizen wrapped his arms around the other's waist and pulled him into a deep kiss. Slipping his tongue through the parted lips, his hands worked quickly to shed the white haori from Shinji's form. Both sets of hands groped and roamed, removing uniforms and glasses piece by piece, until skin met flushed skin and fingernails dug into flesh rather than cloth.

"Nngh..." Shinji groaned out lowly, muffling his own voice by burying his face in the crook of Aizen's neck, as his subordinate stroked his member slowly. "Stop the fuckin' tease," he growled, bucking his hips hard.

"Isn't that the fun part?" Aizen asked, an almost-joking tone about his voice. The glare he was sent told him otherwise, though, and he pushed his captain backward until he bumped lightly against the desk.

Shinji maneuvered onto the furniture easily, hooking a thin leg around Aizen's waist. The two met again for another heated, rough kiss and the captain's hand dropped below to trail his fingers down Aizen's length, rubbing his thumb against the head. He heard no sounds of approval from his rather silent lover (lord help him, they were actually _lovers_ now), but the hardening skin under his fingertips was evidence enough of the younger man's arousal.

"Come on," was the only encouragement Aizen received, but it was more than enough. He grabbed Shinji's hand away and pulled his superior fully off the desk, easily holding the light form closer. The support of a wall came hard and fast against Shinji's back and, with the older one stable, Aizen thrust up into his captain, letting a soft, almost inaudible groan slip from his lips.

Shinji hissed lightly against the slight bolts of pain that shot up his spine and bit down on Aizen's lip hard. It hadn't been very long since he'd admitted to a fetish of being the submissive one (during sex _only_), but Aizen had seemed more than (almost _too_) willing to oblige. They fit perfectly like that, it seemed, and neither had any complaints. Well, unless it was Aizen muttering about how much Shinji liked pulling his hair.

Grinning just a bit to himself, the blonde twirled his digits into the thick locks of hair and gave them a hard yank as his lieutenant drove deeper into him. His back arched out against the wall and he bit down again, this time on Aizen's shoulder, to keep himself from shouting out as the tendrils of pain exploded into bursts of pleasure. His body shook lightly with the building orgasm and his nails dug deep into Aizen's back. "Harder," he panted lightly, closing his eyes to keep the world from spinning. "Fuck, Sousuke...nngh..."

As Shinji's verbal communication melted into a series of moans and half-hearted curses, Aizen gripped him by the hips roughly and pounded into him as deeply as he could. He felt the pulse in his superior's neck quicken and lowered his hand to rub against the head of Shinji's erection. This, by far, was more pleasant than spending the night on his knees.

With a final tug of curly, chocolate hair, Shinji came hard under the experienced ministrations. An overwhelming sense of peace and relaxation filled him so that even the sensation of being released into was just an afterthought in the back of his mind. He leaned heavily against his lieutenant as the latter lowered them both to the floor. Feeling uncharacteristically sentimental, as he always did when his head was spinning from amazing sex, Shinji slumped into Aizen's arms and gave a long, content sigh. He was so content, in fact, that he hadn't heard the knock on his office door, though he felt the body under his tense just a bit.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I was wondering if-" The sentence stopped there, as the uninvited visitor realized that he indeed _was_ interrupting something.

"Eh?" Shinji cracked an eye open to see long, white hair and a rather bewildered expression. Ukitake really had the _worst_ timing.

The three remained like that for a split second before the normally-pale face brightened with a flush. The sickly captain backed toward the door immediately. "S-so I can see that I _am _interrupting, so I'll just be going now. Thank you!" And, just as quickly as he had come, he was gone.

Aizen glanced down at his captain with an inquisitive look. "What will we tell him?"

Resting back to his previous position, Shinji gave a light shrug. "Nothin'. We'll let Shunsui handle that one."

* * *

Oh, poor Ukitake... Well, actually lucky Ukitake. Now, who wouldn't want to see those two naked, sweating, flushed... Erm. Anyway. This fic turned out to be a lot longer than I had expected, and... not quite the way I had planned. Let's just say it started as a oneshot and Shunsui had initially played a much larger role, in my head.

Also, this chapter is so short because I wanted to sort of...contain the smut? Into a separate chapter. I guess kind of like a weird mix between an alternate ending and an epilogue. So, if you want the weirdly fluffy ending that was last chapter, you can leave it at that. Whichever way you chose to read it, I hope you enjoyed!


	4. From the Underground

There are some late-manga spoilers in this chapter regarding Kyouka Suigetsu. They're pretty vague, but they are still there.

* * *

He didn't get it. No, really, he didn't get it one bit. It had been a few months, now, that Shinji and Aizen had escalated their... _whatever_ you want to call what they had from forcing oral to semi-agreeable full-blown sex. Well, forcing might not have been the right word to use; Shinji was just persistent and Aizen wasn't the type to really say 'no' to an order. Of course he had been very unwilling at first, thinking Shinji was just making some sort of lewd joke at the lieutenant's expense, but that illusion had been swept aside quite readily in exchange for some rather _bitter_ reality.

Aizen still didn't seem to really _enjoy_ the exchanges they made after-hours, not in the way that Shinji did, but he didn't protest anymore. Somehow, Shinji was sure it wasn't just because he'd out lasted his subordinate's will, but perhaps it was something a bit more; maybe, somehow, Aizen had actually grown fond of his captain and enjoyed making him happy, in whatever way Shinji deemed appropriate.

Yeah, right. Shinji snorted to himself at the mere thought of Aizen being so thoughtful. Sure, he came off as a nice guy, but Shinji had the feeling that his lieutenant was a lot more selfish than most people would peg him. Then again, that could have just been his ever-lasting suspicions of Aizen unable to see something actually good in the man.

Still, he didn't get it. Ever since he and Aizen had become a bit more personal, Shinji had shown favor to the guy. Not like he was going to go out and buy him flowers or something and he still spent his holidays with Hiyori and his other, better friends, casually telling Aizen that he could tag along with the cool group if he wanted to up his social standing. But at work, he had been a lot more lenient and taken some of the tremendous workload off of his lieutenant. Not because he feared that Aizen would become rundown with work and not being able to perform well- Shinji had a feeling the freak had tremendous stamina- but because he figured it was the least he could do. Especially since the incident a couple weeks ago.

_**Flashback**_

"_Hey, Sousuke," Shinji had said one day, breaking the silence in the small office. He was lounging about on a couch, chowing down on a bag of potato chips, doing nothing much but relaxing and watching Aizen readily attack the stack of work Shinji had given him. Somehow, just watching his lieutenant focus so intently on something else got on the captain's nerves, and he decided to show that paperwork just who was boss._

_The soft scratching of pen on paper subsided and Aizen's eyes raised from his work to look up curiously toward his superior. "Yes, Captain Hirako?" he asked, patiently waiting to be told he was doing something wrong. Shinji loved to criticize him, he was sure, simply because he never did much of anything wrong. The duties of a Soul Reaper were not difficult in the least, after all, and Aizen performed them with fleeting ease. _

_Long fingers dug into the bottom of the bag and retrieved a few more chips before shoving them into an eager mouth. Shinji crunched down on the snack for a few more moments before swallowing and speaking, though his attention was focused on the remaining crumbs at the bottom of his bag, rather than the man he was speaking to. "I'm horny." He said this so very casually- as if he ever did anything otherwise- and knocked back the last of his food with the expertise of someone who had downed many shots in their day._

_That was what Shinji had interrupted his work for? Sex? Aizen couldn't imagine anything more trivial to stop his productive train of thought than carnal needs, but his captain was of a completely different mindset. Normally, he wouldn't be able to talk Shinji out of such a thing, though he had tried many, _many_ times, but today (or, at least, right now) he had an excellent excuse to keep doing just what he was doing._

"_Sir," Aizen said in a light tone that hinted at waning patience, "it's the middle of a busy work day. It would be too risky to take any actions right now. Please, be patient until tonight." He knew he couldn't get out of it completely, but he had grown used to the humiliation Shinji put him through on a weekly basis while they were alone. It was even slightly less so, now that his captain had realized sex was better than other, more degrading things. But the shame he would experience if someone were to walk in on them- no matter _what_ they were doing- was something Aizen wished to avoid with every fiber of his being. It was bad enough when Ukitake had found them out after the act was done, and Shinji had actually let him alone (in personal and work-related matters) for the entire week following. _

_Aizen still avoided the Thirteenth Division Captain as much as he could._

"_That ain't a problem," Shinji assured his lieutenant, persistently waving him over to the couch. "I'm ready t' go an' I know how good you are."_

_The fact that it would be quick and lessen the chance was in no way a logical excuse, in Aizen's mind. As long as the risk still remained, so would his determination. "I'm sure, if you would like, I could locate an open brothel for you, even this early in the morning." There was always someone looking to make a quick buck and it would probably surprise a large number of subordinates just how often their superiors disappeared early in the day for things that were definitely not work-related._

"_I don't wan' a whore," Shinji frowned, narrowing his eyes a little at the man seated on the other side of the room. "Come 'ere, Sousuke. I ain't askin' again."_

"_I don't believe you ever asked in the first place," Aizen commented lightly, keeping a smile on despite finally succumbing to his captain's demands and rising from his seat._

"_Coulda fooled me with how easily ya said 'no'," Shinji huffed, shifting to sit up a little straighter upon Aizen's arrival at his couch. He grinned a bit at the curious look he was given- what he had implied wasn't exactly something one sat up for. "Well, ya don't wanna risk someone walkin' in on us, right? This'll be quicker."_

_Aizen's nose nearly wrinkled in distaste at the direction this was turning. Hadn't he gotten past the part where he had to kneel down to please the other man? He didn't act at first, studying his captain for a minute. He had already used the best excuse in his arsenal to get out of sex and things seemed pretty hopeless at this point. Still, he tried another tactic._

_"I would really rather not, sir," he said, keeping a slight distance from his captain. "You know that sort of thing makes me uncomfortable." More like it damaged his pride beyond repair. At least when they had sex, Shinji had allowed the other man to dominate him. If it hadn't been by the captain's request alone, Aizen might have had the feeling that he was in total control, which he thought might have been Shinji's intention from the start. _

"_If I went along with whatever ya wanted t' do, it never woulda happened in the first place," Shinji said, a bit irritated that they were having these conversations again. He'd figured once Aizen stopped objecting after so long that it would be an easy ride out, but it seemed his lieutenant hadn't accepted their situation, but rather suppressed his hatred toward it. It was obvious that now was the time it came bubbling back over the top. Still, Shinji didn't care that much. Even if he did, he would never let Aizen know he did. "So stop your talkin' an' hurry up. We coulda been done with this by now."_

_And so Aizen finally complied, though the conversation and the distinct lack of compassion on Shinji's part put a bad spin on the whole thing. The blonde captain relaxed back at Aizen set to work, doing his thing with ease. Though they hadn't been in that particular situation for months, Shinji was happy to see that Aizen hadn't forgotten that particular talent._

_The moments ticked by as the room began heating up- or was that just in Shinji's head?- and soft sighs bounced off the walls, accompanied by the distinct sounds of Aizen's act. He kept his attention focused on the brunette before him, fingers running carefully through the dark locks, rubbing as the other man's scalp as if encouraging him. The content feeling, and moreover the feeling of absolute control this situation gave him, spread throughout Shinji and filled his head with dizzying ecstasy to the point that, even when he heard someone speaking through his door, he couldn't quite let Aizen stop._

_He recognized the voice, put a face to it immediately, and instead of calling back for the other person not to enter (as he should have done, no matter who was at his door), his mouth opened to reply back, "s'open."_

_He felt Aizen's body tense against his and immediately the ministrations stopped as the door slid open to reveal the flamboyant captain of the Eighth Division. Shinji's hand, however, was still tangled in his lieutenant's curly locks and prevented the other from withdrawing from his current position. He'd pay for this later, he was sure, but any chance to demean Aizen was one he jumped at. Besides, their guest already knew their situation well, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?_

"_Shunsui," Shinji acknowledged with a wide grin, raising in greeting the hand that wasn't keeping Aizen's head still, "what's up?"_

_Taking in the scene before him, Kyouraku gave a sigh and immediately turned his back to the pair. "You should have told me you were busy, instead of telling me to come in. Honestly, Shinji, can't you wait until the day is over, at least?" His tone wasn't reprimanding as his words suggested, but more teasing than anything. Kyouraku really couldn't look down on any of Shinji's deviant acts, seeing as how he was probably guilty of every single one just the same._

"_I ain't too busy t' talk," Shinji told him, tightening the grip in Aizen's hair just a bit as he felt the other's teeth dig lightly into his erection, "so close the door before someone else comes by." His attention then turned back down to Aizen and a quick yank was given to the dark locks in his fingers. "I didn't tell ya t' stop."_

_Shinji wasn't able to fully see it, but from his position, Kyouraku could see the detesting glare Aizen shot his captain before obliging to the demand. He felt bad for the kid; it seemed that the more Shinji liked his partners, the further he would go to show them off. This was, without a doubt, the epitome of showing Aizen off. Personally, the older captain didn't see anything wrong with the situation, as he and Shinji had shared most of their lovers, but this was different. Aizen was different. He was strong-willed and he was Shinji's and Kyouraku didn't belong here. Not with this one._

_Silently, he turned his head to the side and did the best he could to avoid hearing or seeing what was going on in front of him. Not to trample on Aizen's feelings, but in his best attempt to spare them, he began talking to cover the other noises in the room. "I came by to invite you out for a drink tonight."_

"_Oh?" Shinji relaxed back and let his head fall to one side, admiring his lieutenant at work while exchanging words with the other man. "I'd love t' take ya up on that offer, but I might have somethin' else t' do."_

"_Is that so?" Kyouraku murmured, forcing himself not to slide a glance to his fellow captain. He couldn't imagine that 'thing' being Aizen; he'd heard all about what happened after the incident with Ukitake, and this was ten times worse. If not a hundred. "I was really hoping to see you there~"_

"_Is it important?" Shinji wondered, nearly about to turn his head to look at the other man before his breath caught in his throat and his entire body tensed. He bit his tongue against any comments toward Aizen about his performance, feeling that would have crossed yet another line, but his eyes closed and, for a moment, his conversation with Shunsui was suspended. He felt the returning waves of pleasure rush up inside of him and spill over into his lieutenant's mouth and he had to grit his teeth to stifle any major sounds; Aizen was as good as ever, but with someone watching, Shinji felt a little self-conscious about making too much noise. _

_Aizen never swallowed. He thought the taste enough was disgusting, but to actually have something like that inside of him was utterly repulsive. There were a few times Shinji had, half-heartedly, tried to get him to do it, claiming that it was sexier if he did, but Aizen stubbornly refused every time in a way that seemed to cause Shinji to cater to that one request; as if he himself knew it was too much to ask. This time, though, as he felt the rush of salty substance pour into his mouth and attempted to back away and spit it out- perhaps _at_ Shinji, depending on his captain's expression- that hand didn't release him. It kept him there, telling him silently that if he were to do such a thing, it would mean the end of quite a few things, his career not being the least of them. _

_And so, the bespectacled lieutenant forced the release down his throat, the bile in his stomach rising up to meet it head on. The result was Aizen yanking away from Shinji with a ferocity rarely shown by the complacent man, his head turned away from both of the other men in the room, and the back of his hand raising to cover his mouth as he did best to contain the coughing that followed._

"_It's important," Kyourauku decided immediately, finally turning his gaze upon the recovering brunette, a frown lacing his lips. "Can I count on seeing you there?"_

_Readjusting his clothing to cover himself, Shinji glanced from Aizen to Shunsui, finally nodding his consent. He was almost sure that he was going to be berated about something or other, though why his friend didn't just spill right then and there, he wasn't sure. It must have had to do with Aizen, but Shinji didn't worry too much about it._

"_Wonderful~" Kyouraku turned to open the door again, glancing over his shoulder. "See you then." And with that, Shinji and Aizen were again alone in the captain's quarters._

_**End Flashback**_

After that, Shinji had immediately lightened Aizen's workload and never again even suggested the other man do what he'd done, neither during nor after work hours. He'd even lightened up on pursuing the other man for sex and, for the majority of the week, they were once again just captain and lieutenant.

To his credit, Aizen never acted any differently in front of the other Soul Reapers, even Kyouraku. He still remained respectful and obedient to his captain, putting up the guise that he always had. It just wan't until now that Shinji saw how fake his smiles were and how he was sure Aizen bowed so low only to avoid looking at the other man, even if just for a few seconds. Now he knew Aizen had a reason to hate him.

Even when they were alone, though, Aizen's tone never changed much. He was more difficult to convince to do things that were related directly to work, but Shinji couldn't blame him much for that. He'd done his best to make it up, but those efforts ended short since he refused to directly apologize or ever really ask if he could help Aizen with anything or get him anything. Shinji really just wasn't the type to show how sorry he was; it opened up too many doors that couldn't be closed.

Still, he didn't get it. It's not as if he'd ever really acted as if he respected Aizen. So that show of disrespect was a bit blatant and, honestly, something he would take back if he could. The guy was still a creep and he probably deserved it, anyway.

Shinji was sure if he kept telling himself that, it would become true.

Finally, one night while he was out drinking with what he considered to be one of his best friends, Shinji gave in to the pestering Kyouraku and spilled his thoughts.

"It don't make a bit o' sense," he muttered into a cup of sake. "The guy's totally unreasonable. It ain't like I sold 'im out t' make a quick buck or somethin'!"

Shunsui didn't need to ask whom Shinji was griping about and he gave his fellow captain a smile. They had requested a private room, so he didn't need to worry too much about being overheard. "Sousuke is a very proud man," he reminded Shinji, "and you've trampled on that pride quite a bit. Would it be any wonder if he did hate you?"

Shinji grunted in response and downed his cup, staring at the empty bottom for a long while. "Was it that big've a deal? I didn't put 'im up for display in front of the whole Soul Society or nothin'; it was just you."

The older man chuckled lightly and sat back a bit, surveying his friend. "You don't get it, do you?" He wasn't too surprised when he'd had to have a similar conversation like this with the man's lieutenant, but he'd expected a bit more from Shinji.

"Don't get what?" Shinji asked, wrinkling his nose a little.

"I don't think Sousuke would have minded so much," he began, resting his elbows against the small table between them, "if he thought you two shared an actual relationship."

"...Ehhh?" Shinji peered hard across the table at the other captain, trying to deduce whether this was a joke or not. "A relationship? With that creep? Are you drunk already? Get your head t'gether, Shunsui! There's no way I could do somethin' like that!"

"Isn't there?" Shunsui wondered, the question rhetorical, though he knew Shinji would answer it.

"Course there ain't! It's absurd. I don't trust the guy one bit." Throughout all of it, Shinji had never given Aizen anything except his body, and he would be damned if that would change.

"You don't trust him? Well, of course you don't. You can't trust someone you don't know." And by Shinji's expression, Shunsui was sure he had hit the nail on the head. "Why don't you try to get to know him a little better? It should make things easier on you, either way."

"You're a real piece o' work, ya know that?" Shinji muttered, dropping the bottle back to the table when he found it empty and standing from his seat. "I'm gonna go get some more booze."

* * *

After his time with Shunsui was up, Shinji felt up to nothing more than returning to his division and getting some rest. He was still scoffing at the suggestion. Get to know Aizen better; yeah, _right_. It was as absurd as the idea that Aizen actually _wanted_ Shinji to get to know him better. Shunsui was still operating under the impression that Aizen was a normal kid with normal objectives and normal reactions. He was wrong. Aizen was a manipulative, untrustworthy bastard that needed to be kept in check lest he get too much control. What else did he need to know?

Stumbling a bit from the intoxication that filled his head, Shinji grunted as his foot caught on the last step up to his office- it was closer than his room and, honestly, his couch was comfier than his futon- and he landed face-first on the deck. He groaned loudly, too exhausted to really make much of a move, and decided he'd just sleep there for the night. It wasn't _that_ cold out, anyway.

Unfortunately, some evil force of the universe decided he was most certainly not going to sleep there, and placed a late-working lieutenant inside his office, roused by the commotion outside. The door slid open and Aizen glanced down at his drunken captain, smiling a bit at what he knew must be the end of a long, frustrating day for the blonde.

"Did you have a good time out?" he asked, polite as ever, as he stooped down to collect his mess of a captain.

Shinji grunted as he was lifted to his feet, leaning heavily on the sturdy body next to him. "Shunsui's an idiot," he said simply, allowing Aizen to lead him into his office and deposit him on the couch inside.

"I don't think I can agree to that," Aizen told him, leaving his side momentarily to slide the door shut and gather his papers. He had a feeling he would be getting no more work done tonight unless Shinji passed out rather quickly. "Can I get you something? Tea?"

"Nah," Shinji said, sliding back to lay fully on the couch and wave Aizen over, "come 'ere."

The lieutenant frowned a bit, but obliged the simple command, doing nothing more than he was asked. He approached the couch and, having nowhere to sit _on_ it, placed himself on the floor next to it. He wouldn't read into Shinji's words, knowing that with the way their interactions had been lately that if he didn't initiate anything, it was likely his captain wouldn't, either.

"Tell me somethin'," Shinji said, shifting to lay on his side and face Aizen, one arm tucked under his head as a makeshift pillow and the other strewn across his stomach.

When Shinji didn't elaborate, Aizen tilted his head back to glance at the other man. "What would you like me to tell you?"

"Anything. Somethin' 'bout yourself." It was almost a challenging tone he spoke with, though he was testing Shunsui more than Aizen. He would prove to the older captain that, regardless of how he viewed Aizen, the guy was nothing but a creep.

Aizen blinked, a bit surprised at the request, but thought it wouldn't be too difficult to comply with. If all Shinji wanted to do was talk, then he wouldn't mind staying up the rest of the night doing so; it would be a very welcome change of pace.

"I like tea. Green tea is my favorite."

"Tell me somethin' I don't know." Well, he didn't know the specifics, but he knew his lieutenant was a fanatic of the stuff.

"I don't like sake."

"You're bad at this game."

"My favorite color is green."

"Green?" Shinji cracked an eye open. "What shade?"

Aizen sent a glance to his side and lifted a hand to lightly stroke the hilt of his sword. "The color of Kyouka Suigetsu's wrap."

"S'that so?" Shinji wondered, leaning over to snake his hand under Aizen's and wrap his fingers around the hilt of the other man's sword. Before Aizen could react, the blade was unsheathed and raised for closer examination and every muscle in his body tensed and froze at the sight.

In one hand, Shinji had the hilt of his sword gripped firmly and in the other, as was natural to do when inspecting a blade, was the cool metal itself. Of course, Shinji thought nothing of holding his lieutenant's sword in his hands, but Aizen knew he had just made a grave error; one that might possibly cost him years of work. Still, he couldn't act too strange; everyone thought his zanpakutou's ability was something silly to do with water and mist. They couldn't possibly know that touching the blade itself placed them immune to its true, manipulative powers.

"S'okay," Shinji finally decided, handing the sword back, "but Sakanade's color is better."

"You seem like the kind of man who would like that color," Aizen told him, placing Kyouka Suigetsu back in its sheath and eyeing the vivid, red hilt of his captain's blade.

Shinji wasn't sure whether to be insulted or not, but finally decided he didn't really care one way or another. "So, tell me somethin' else."

"You're very curious about me, all of a sudden," Aizen told him. "Did something happen?"

"Eh? Nothin' happened," Shinji assured, waving a hand in the air. "What's wrong with it? Shouldn't we get t' know each other better, considerin' everything?"

Was he really being sincere? Or perhaps he was just that drunk. He never pegged his captain to speak those words to him, of all people, but as long as he gave out facts about himself that he wouldn't mind anyone knowing- even Shinji- he thought it best to just play along until the other man fell asleep. "No, there's nothing wrong it. It's just sudden."

"So it is strange, huh?" He figured it would be; he'd never shown an interest in Aizen before, on a personal level, so asking about him now would definitely seem off. "Maybe I'm jus' drunk."

Somehow, Aizen wasn't sure which reason he disliked more. Shinji wanting to be close to him and know things about him would make matters difficult, especially later into his plans. However, to think that this man would only care about him if he had had enough to drink made his stomach turn. He had, after all, been used and shamed by this person; it wasn't something he would forgive, and he couldn't wait until the time came when he could pay it back, but it hurt his pride even worse to think that Shinji really saw him as nothing more than a good time. Aizen liked to be valued and before everything had happened, he was sure Shinji saw his potential. That was, after all, why he was the man's lieutenant in the first place.

"If that's the case, then you should rest." Aizen didn't wait for Shinji to make up his mind about it and stood from his spot on the floor. "Good night, Captain Hirako."

Shinji wondered briefly, as he watched Aizen leave the office quickly and quietly, if he'd said something to run him off. Hadn't he been trying to be nice and friendly, just like Shunsui had told him to? Yet the guy bolted at the first opening. Just like Shinji had thought: Aizen didn't want his captain to know anything about him because that would make it harder for him to get away with whatever plans he had brewing in the back of his mind. This evening and their conversation had, in Shinji's eyes, done nothing but confirm what he'd thought already.

* * *

I might have taken liberties a bit with the rules regarding Kyouka Suigetsu. I'm almost sure I did. But it's helpful to my story, so until something concrete surrounding it comes out (all I'm aware of is the line that Gin mentioned in the manga), I'll go with this interpretation. Which is, once the blade is touched, it provides immunity from Complete Hypnosis to the toucher from that point forward. I have a strong feeling that it's meant that the toucher is only immune _while_ touching the blade, but again. Liberties.

In other news, this won't be the last chapter of this thing. I have a plan for the story, now, though it's not fully thought out, yet. So, look forward to more~


	5. Light at the end of the Tunnel

It was nearly lunchtime the following day before Shinji awoke, groaning a bit at the sunlight assaulting his face. He hadn't had _too_ much to drink the previous night, and he was well-versed in the ways of the sake house, so the sun outside was only an annoyance and not a total abomination.

He found, upon scanning the space around him, that someone had relocated him to his own room after he'd fallen asleep in his office. It was probably Aizen, he figured, and let out another, smaller groan at the thought of his lieutenant. Perhaps he was just still a little drunk, but he nearly felt bad for the guy. Of course, Kyouraku was the main reason he felt that way, and he knew it wasn't wise to take the advice from someone who couldn't see Aizen for the scum he really was.

But what if he really wasn't?

That thought kept pestering Shinji more and more. He _knew_ there was something wrong with the younger shinigami; he was up to no good whatsoever. But if that were really true, why hadn't Shinji caught him in the act of anything, yet? The guy had been his lieutenant for a while, now, and he had never been anything but obedient and respectful. Was he really wrong? If so, then he was damaging a relationship with possibly the best lieutenant anyone could ever ask for. He had to find out, one way or another.

His fellow captain's words from the night before came back in full force. _Get to know him_. Could Shinji really do something like that? He sighed lightly and stared up at his ceiling as his thoughts showed no sign of ending any time soon. Get to know him. Get to know Aizen Sousuke. That was dangerous, as far as Shinji was concerned. If he got to know the guy, he ran the risk of being sucked in like everyone else.

And then came the problem of if he could ever get past this gut feeling he had. Could he make it a fair trade and open up about himself, as well? Telling Aizen his secrets seemed like a really, _really _bad idea. But what if it were in exchange for hearing the other man's secrets? What if those secrets were just a lie and all Shinji got from the exchange was being exposed?

"Goddamn it!" he hissed under his breath, sitting up and tugging at his hair in frustration. He couldn't trust Aizen. As long as he kept true to that mantra, he could try and get to know him a little better. Now that he had made a decision, all that was left was to actually see the other man. "Goddamn it," he muttered again.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Captain Hirako," Aizen greeted, sparing only a glance from the work in front of him as the captain sauntered through his office door. He didn't need to really ask why Shinji wasn't in his own office, figuring that the other man was checking up on him. Why he really needed to be checked up on was a different matter entirely.

Shinji didn't respond right away, looking Aizen up and down skeptically for a minute. Could he really do this? Well, he'd just consider it as taking one for the team. He knew the first step to mending some of the damage he'd done and it was probably the most difficult one.

"M'sorry."

It had barely been uttered, certainly forced, and Aizen thought he'd misunderstood the words coming from his captain's lips. "Sir?" Even if Shinji was apologizing, it was probably for something trivial.

"I said I'm sorry," Shinji growled, biting his tongue from calling the other an idiot or asking if his ears were so filled with wax that he couldn't hear properly. "For... all that shit."

Aizen allowed his face to register the shock he felt for a moment before replacing it with a more gracious expression. "You have nothing to apologize for, sir." Well, didn't they both know that was just a load of crap? Still, it was worrisome that Shinji was doing such a thing all of a sudden. Had he had some sort of epiphany?

"Bullshit," Shinji said, crossing the room to Aizen's desk and moving around it to stand next to the other's chair. Before Aizen could properly react, Shinji reached out and curled his fingers into the thick, brown strands of hair, pulling Aizen's head back to make eye contact. "But I'll kill ya myself if ya prove me right."

Aizen didn't need to ask to know what the other meant. Someone had convinced his captain that he was someone to be trusted; someone that didn't deserve all of the things Shinji was putting him through probably almost entirely out of spite. Shinji was still, obviously, convinced otherwise. It was then that he really pitied his superior, and even more so at the unbearable tenderness of the kiss he received next, because he knew, deep down, that Shinji wouldn't survive Aizen proving him right.

Still, Aizen accepted the light affection and didn't complain when Shinji seated himself in the younger one's lap. His arms came, a bit awkwardly, around the other body and he did his best to look flustered. It wasn't too far of an act, really, because Aizen had never concerned himself with affection before and this was all very unknown. "Sir?"

"What issit?" Shinji mumbled, resting his head on the other's shoulder, allowing his eyes to close.

"While I appreciate your sudden change of heart, there is still work that needs to be done." Work that was sitting just out of reach on the desk beyond. With a captain in his way, Aizen couldn't hope to be any sort of productive. He supposed he should be so swept away by his superior's sudden kindness that work was irrelevant and meaningless, but that would never be the type of person he was, masked or not.

"You're still goin' on 'bout work?" Shinji asked, withdrawing to look down at the other man, nose wrinkled in slight distaste. "Sousuke, ya need t' live a little. Have ya ever even been out on a date before?"

"A date, sir?" Aizen's gut was twisting a bit at how this situation did not seem as if it was going to end well.

"Yeah, ya know. A date! With a girl or somethin'. Don't ya got a girlfriend, at least?" Shinji knew Aizen was strict in the office, but he couldn't be that uptight _all_ the time.

Aizen, on the other hand, was simply bewildered. Was this man really suggesting that he had enough free time or privacy to carry on some sort of social life? Of course he acted as if he enjoyed everyone's company, but Aizen kept a cool detachment from the rest of Soul Society. He couldn't afford personal relationships for a number of reasons. Finally, a light smile covered his lips and he prepared himself for the reaction he was about to receive. Whoever was trying to convince Shinji that he was a good guy was about to get a huge burst of help. "Captain Hirako, you surprise me. Surely you don't think there's anyone but you?"

As expected, Shinji's body tensed a bit and his expression froze into one of disbelief and general 'what the fuck did he just say?'. No one but him? Was Aizen implying that there was really something between them? Was he saying that the two of them, in the lieutenant's bespectacled eyes, were an _item_? No, he couldn't really think that. Hadn't Shinji made it clear, up until this point, that Aizen was less than nothing to him? A good time and a good worker, maybe, but nothing beyond that! Had he really unknowingly deceived this kid into thinking there were feelings behind the actions?

"Ya... Well, of course I thought there's someone else! Ya can't really think that-" His frustrated words were cut off with a light chuckle from the younger one. Somehow, this just angered Shinji. "What's so funny?"

"Sir, I don't mean to patronize you, but it's ridiculous to assume I would be involved with anyone else." Of course, not for the reasons that his words would imply, but Aizen got very, very far with misunderstood implications.

Shinji promptly removed himself from his temporary seat and stood, crossing his arms and glaring down at Aizen. "It ain't ridiculous. It's not like what we're doin' means anything." The words didn't catch in his throat soon enough and Shinji's gaze snapped to Aizen's, for once unsure if he really had misread the other. Even if Aizen had ill intents in the beginning, had actually being here and being around others changed his mind? Had whatever he'd had with Shinji swayed him somehow?

Deciding to play along with it, and knowing Shinji would fall all the harder if he thought Aizen was somehow infatuated with him, the brunette allowed a foreign expression of pain to cross through his eyes before he averted them. He wasn't sure how good he was at the emotion and didn't want to let it linger if it was subpar.

It seemed to have worked, though, because Shinji remained quiet for a few moments longer before settling himself on the edge of the lieutenant's desk. "I didn't think that ya really-"

"It's okay," Aizen said immediately, returning his eyes to the other man with a patient smile on his face; that was one he was very good at. "You couldn't have possibly known, and I never intended to let you find out."

"Why?" Shinji demanded immediately, confusion easily sparking anger. "Why wouldn't ya say somethin' about a thing like that? Ya could have at least told Shunsui or somethin' if ya were too embarrassed t' tell me to my face!"

"Captain Kyouraku has many other concerns," Aizen replied easily. "To put such a thing on his shoulders would be irresponsible. Even to put them on your shoulders would be. After all, is it not your policy to avoid considering your subordinate's feelings?"

"That ain't nearly the same thing!" Shinji shouted, standing once again. "You're a damn idiot, Sousuke! Ya just..." He let out a frustrated shout and spun around, unable to even keep the other in his sights. What the hell was this guy's problem? Did he really think Shinji was the type of guy who wouldn't consider something like that? Just what sort of shithead did Aizen think he was? And suddenly, the little voice in the back of his head that always told him what a bad guy Aizen was, started suggesting that if Aizen thought he, who was such a really nice guy, was a terrible person that maybe him thinking Aizen was a slimeball was just as wrong.

Seeing Shinji's shoulders slump a little, Aizen ventured to stand from his seat. "Captain Hirako, it is my duty to make your life easier, not more difficult. I didn't wish to place any guilt or obligation on your conscience. It seems in not doing so, I've made things much more worse."

"Shaddup," Shinji told him, though not with nearly as much heart as he'd been speaking with before. He brought a hand up to rub at his face and, after a few moments of silent contemplation, finally looked over his shoulder at the other. "C'mon."

"Where are we going?"

"I'm takin' ya on a date."

* * *

It was inappropriate to do this in the middle of the day. It was inappropriate to do this with a captain. Then again, many things that Lisa Yadomaru did would be considered inappropriate. So, in retrospect, joining her captain for a drink while the sun was still high in the sky was probably not that bad. Besides, she enjoyed whatever time she could spend with the older man, especially in these situations when they were sure not to talk about work.

"Hey, Lisa," Shunsui said in a low drawl, speaking slowly as if he'd just woken up. He was relaxed, so what sense was there to speak as if he were alert or on edge?

"Hm?" the female asked, her mouth already occupied with sipping down a bit of sake.

"Have you noticed anything strange about Aizen or Shinji lately?" He was sure that Shinji told him just about everything, but that Aizen was a secretive one and, really, Shunsui never pried too much into other people's business. Alright, so he had pried a little bit that once, but it was for a good cause. Now, though, he was wondering if it had worked out well or not.

"Strange?" she repeated, glancing to the man at her side. He was stretched back on the floor, head propped up on top of his arms. It was the position he usually took when he wasn't concerned with really drinking and just used the sake house as an excuse to get away from work and Soul Society. "Like what?" If there was some bit of juicy gossip going on between the Fifth Division captain and lieutenant, she definitely wanted to know.

"It's nothing," Shunsui assured her quickly, "if you haven't heard anything." And if Lisa hadn't heard anything, then there was nothing to hear.

"Well, there is one, small thing," she said, almost teasingly, earning her a curious look from under the brim of that hat.

"Oh?" he asked, body almost inclined to lean forward in anticipation. Well, if it hadn't been so comfortably laying in a very non-leaning position at the time.

"Yup," she said, pointing with a finger across the room, "they're out on a date."

This was reason enough to sit up, Shunsui decided, and he followed his lieutenant's gaze until he spotted the pair entering. As usual, Shinji looked irritated about something and Aizen looked as if he had better things to be doing. Which, Shunsui rationalized, he probably did.

"Just because they're out together doesn't mean they're on a date," he chided the woman, chuckling. "We're out together, aren't we?"

Curiously, Lisa managed to tear her gaze away from the odd couple to look at her captain. "This isn't a date?"

Shunsui's lips split into an amused smile and he patted the woman on her hand, his other hand coming out to steal the bottle of alcohol away from her. "Maybe you've had a bit too much to drink."

"That's ridiculous," she assured him, looking back to Aizen and Shinji as to not lose track of them. "Should I call them over?"

"No," he decided immediately, taking a long drink from the bottle, "we'd better leave them be. Shinji looks pretty upset already."

"You know something," Lisa insisted, catching the look in her partner's eye. It was something between satisfaction and complete understanding of something she had a very flimsy grasp on. "Spill."

"Is that any way to talk to your superior~?" Shunsui teased, grinning at the serious look on the woman's face.

"Tell me or I'll tell Captain Unohana what you said about her the last time you were too drunk to remember the night before." The look on her face assured that no, she was not joking.

"I really need to stop drinking around you," Shunsui muttered, wondering who he feared more: Unohana or Shinji. Well, that answer was easy. "Shinji and Sousuke are involved."

"What?" Lisa shouted, drawing the attention of a few patrons nearby as she grabbed onto the front of Shunsui's uniform. "For how long? Is it official? Why didn't you tell me? Have they _done it yet_?"

"I don't know those things!" Shunsui assured her, one hand forced to fall behind him to keep his balance. "It's personal information. I only know because-"

"Hirako told you," Lisa finished for him, settling back down.

"Eh? You know that much?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. What else did she know?

"Of course. You share all of your partners, after all." Well, that's how much.

Another groan and Shunsui flopped back down onto the floor, covering his face fully with his hat. "I guess I can't drag you away until you're done watching them?"

"Of course not," she confirmed, eyes trained steadily on the pair. "But you can go. I'll be following them back to their barracks once they leave."

"No you won't!"

"Have a little more to drink, captain."

* * *

Aha, I love Lisa. I was going to add Aizen and Shinji's bit on the uh... date-thing here, but I think I'll keep it generalized for now. Shinji seems to be swayed to Aizen's favor, for now, but that won't last for too long. And Aizen, as usual, is just being manipulative. But maybe that won't last, either~


End file.
